Social Innovation for Refugee Inclusion: A Sense of Home

MPI Europe, the United States Mission to the European Union, the Mission of Canada to the European Union, and the European Economic and Social Committee were pleased to organize the third conference on "Social Innovation for Refugee Inclusion: A Sense of Home."

The two-day event explored how innovations in housing, community engagement, and mentoring can build social ties, create supportive communities, establish a robust base for economic opportunities, and foster a sense of belonging and "home" for refugees and asylum seekers. The first day of the conference dove into the bold ideas and actions that social initiatives, urban designers, refugee-led organizations and more have developed for inclusion, while the second day examined tools and strategies supporting innovations to create lasting change. 

Sessions explored topics such as: the potential of co-housing for community building; the role of urban planning for more inclusive cities; building innovative cross-sectoral partnerships; and novel approaches to measuring and communicating success in social innovation.

The perspective of housing experts, refugee and migrant organizations, social enterprises, and urban designers featured prominently in the conference, alongside other nongovernmental actors and government representatives at the local and national level.

Video footage provided courtesy of European Economic and Social Committee. © 2019 EU.